Acetylhexene

It is getting a bit off topic from what I was hoping... :frown:

Toto

Well, what were you hoping?

Acetylhexene

A discussion from a Biblical-historical viewpoint on if Cannabis was explicitly referred to in the Bible as being used by it's main character/hero, and it's possible repercussions for modern-day society.

Would Cannabis have been regarded as some blessed or divine herb if it was known to the Israelites of 2000 years ago?

That's why I specifically chose this forum instead of General religious discussion.

Toto

Jesus and other Biblical heros were big on wine, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't have been equally positive about cannabis. But I'm not sure what more you could say.

Acetylhexene

Wine (and thus other forms of alcohol) are accepted (and even encouraged) by society, but then it would have to be as the Church would have demanded it so (having been mentioned often in the Bible). This is regardless of the long-term physiological effects of alcohol on the body.

I wonder if cannabis smoke would have been symbolised as the "Breath" that God breathed into his dust sculpture to make Adam come to life, and thus have gained equal advocation in cultures founded on the Abrahamic religions?

Clivedurdle

The twentieth and 21 first century prohibitions on Cannabis and heroin etc are very modern phenomena - was not Queen Victoria prescribed cannabis for child birth? Opium was widely available in various remedies.

Part of the holiness of annointing oils would have been their magical effects.

Our laws on drugs are not rational. Alcohol and tobacco have far less controls, a whole series of drugs are doctor controlled, others you end up in prison although doctors commonly use morphine.

Prohibitionist mentalities.

Headache

And this thread is a clear indication of wanting to elevate those standards!

I'm sorry to say I don't know the types of stimulants used by the indigenous people of the Middle East. Do they have a history of any type of use similar to chewing coca leaves in South America? Or use of Khat?

arnoldo

Persons who were crucified by the Romans were frequently offered an opiate to dull the senses however, as per the scriptures, Yeshua refused to take any narcotics during the crucifiction.

Toto

Do you have a source for this?

Toto

If you read through the long thread Jesus used cannabis, there is some evidence of marijuana and drug use, but not as a stimulant - more as a medicinal herb. But there is a lot of speculation.